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Distance Services - Requesting Items
- What kinds of items can I request?
- How can I request something?
- How/where are they delivered to me?
- How long can I keep them?
- Can I renew items? How?
- How much does it cost?
- How should I return items and to where?
- Is there a way for me to return them without postage costs?
- Will I be charged overdue fees if an item is late?
What kinds of items can I request?
If you are a student, staff or faculty member from a regional campus located in the United States you can request books, articles, conference proceedings, dissertations and similar items and we will get them for you either from Babson Library’s collection or from another library for your use. You may also request videos or DVDs which we will send to you if they are in Babson Library’s collection.
If you live outside the United States you may request articles. At this time, we cannot send books, videos, DVDs, or similar items out of the country.
How can I request something?
If you already know the item you want, go to the Library’s home page and click on the Interlibrary Loan link. Use these forms to request your items. Don’t worry about the sentence saying the forms “provide… access to [items] … not owned by Babson Library”. That applies to the people who work or take classes at the Springfield, MA campus. As a student, faculty or staff member from a regional campus you can use the forms for items we own as well as for items we don’t.
If you don’t know what items you want start by searching for information on your topic. Then, when you find items you would like, you can request them.
How/where are they delivered to me?
Whenever possible articles are sent to your Springfield College e-mail address. When this is not possible they will be sent via U.S. Mail to the mailing address on the Interlibrary Loan Request form. Books from Babson are sent via U.S. Mail (Media Mail) within New England and by UPS 2-Day Mail outside New England. Videos/DVDs are sent via UPS. Books and articles from other libraries are sent on to you the same ways once they arrive at Babson Library.
If you would like items sent to a different (physical) location simply change the address on the request form. Please note that articles will only be e-mailed to your Springfield College e-mail address.
How long can I keep them?
You may keep any articles we send you. Loan periods for other items will vary:
- Books from Babson Library circulate for 28 days.
- Videos/DVDS from Babson Library circulate for 7 days (we will add in a few extra days to cover the time it takes to mail them to you)
- Books borrowed from another library through Interlibrary Loan circulate for whatever period of time the lending library decides. The assigned due date can range from short time periods (a couple of weeks) to longer periods (6 weeks)
Can I renew items? How?
If you would like to keep any item past its assigned due date, you can request a renewal.
- Books, videos and DVDs from Babson Library can be renewed twice, if no one else has requested them.
- Books borrowed through Interlibrary Loan can sometimes be renewed. For each book, staff will need to ask the lending library that owns the book whether they are willing to renew it.
For instructions on how to place a renewal request, please refer to the How do I renew my books? section of the library's FAQ page.
How much does it cost?
There is no charge to request items. We also pay all outgoing postage. However you are responsible for return postage fees. See below.
How should I return items and to where?
Photocopies do not need to be returned. Books should be returned via insured U.S. Mail or UPS. Videos/DVDs should be returned via UPS.
Send items to:
Babson Library
Springfield College
263 Alden Street
Springfield, MA 01109
Attn: Lynn Martin
Is there a way for me to return them without postage costs?
Some School of Human Services campuses may be willing to return books for their students. Check with your campus. If they are willing, make sure you know who you should give the books to and make sure you give them plenty of time to return them before the due date.
IMPORTANT: You are responsible for items lent to you until they are back at Babson Library. Your campus cannot assume responsibility for timely returns for you. You must allow sufficient time to return the materials whether you return them yourself or you ask the campus to return them for you.
Will I be charged overdue fees if an item is late?
The library does not charge fines for overdue materials. All patrons are billed for the replacement cost of each item that is not returned within 1 full loan period past the item’s assigned due date. Babson Library’s online circulation system (Voyager) regards these items as “Lost”. If items are not returned to Babson Library, you will be billed for replacement charges
Replacement charges will reflect the actual cost for replacing the Lost item(s) whenever possible, such as with recently published book titles and videos/DVDs. When the actual cost cannot be determined, patrons will be billed at the following default rates:
| Type of material | Default Rate |
|---|---|
| Theses, dissertations, out of print books, etc. | $50.00 | Older videos/DVDs and other multimedia | $100.00 |
| Interlibrary Loan items from other schools | $100.00 |
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING INTERLIBRARY LOAN BOOKS: If you return an item late, the lending library that owns it may already consider it “Lost”. Babson Library will receive a bill from the lending library for the replacement cost of the borrowed item along with a processing fee. All replacement costs and processing fees will be billed to your account through the Springfield College Business Office. At that point, even if you return the “Lost” item, it may not be possible to cancel or credit the charge. Borrowing privileges, including requests for Interlibrary Loans, will be suspended for any patrons with outstanding replacement charges. We encourage you to return all items on time. For information about receiving a credit for the replacement charges, please see the Borrowing section on the library’s homepage.
